Benefits of Upgrading to Cisco Catalyst 9000 Switches Feature Comparison
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Why upgrade to the Cisco Catalyst 9000 switching family?
Reimagine, Reinforce, Redefine
The Cisco Catalyst 9000 family of switches are Cisco’s lead fixed, modular and compact enterprise access, aggregation and core switching platform. They are built to transform your network to handle a hybrid world where the workplace is anywhere, endpoints could be anything, and applications are hosted all over the place.
The Catalyst 9000 family, including the new Catalyst 9000X models, continue to shape the future with ongoing innovation that helps you reimagine connections, reinforce security, and redefine the experience for your hybrid workforce big and small.
Why upgrade to the Catalyst 9200 Series?
Catalyst 9200 Series
The Catalyst 9200 Series switches extend the power of intent-based networking and Catalyst 9000 hardware and software innovation to a broader set of deployments. The Catalyst 9200 Series focuses on offering right-sized switching for simple branch deployments. With its family pedigree, the Catalyst 9200 Series offers simplicity without compromise. It is secure and always on and provides a new level of IT simplicity.
Secure, simple, solid. That’s how we build them.
Table 1. Benefits of the Catalyst 9200 Series switches compared to other Catalyst access switches in their class
| Trend |
Feature |
Legacy fixed access switches |
|
Benefits |
|
| Catalyst 2960-X Series |
Catalyst 2960-XR Series |
Catalyst 9200 Series |
|||
| Scale and performance |
Bandwidth per stack |
80 Gbps |
80 Gbps |
Up to 160 Gbps |
Twice the density at nearly the same price |
| Uplinks |
4x 1G SFP 2x 10G SFP+ 2x 10/100/1000BASE-T |
4x 1G SFP 2x 10G SFP+ |
4x 1G SFP 4x 10G SFP+ |
||
| Advanced security |
Full Flexible NetFlow |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
Orchestrate role-based access to corporate resources AES-128, MACsec-128 |
| Cisco TrustSec and SGT1 for wired and wireless |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
||
| Trustworthy solutions |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
||
| MACsec link encryption |
– |
– |
✓ |
||
| Simplicity and automation |
Cisco IOS XE OS |
– |
– |
✓ |
Single common network OS across switching, routing, wireless, and IoT |
| Model-driven programmability |
– |
– |
✓ |
Standards-based programmable interfaces |
|
| Streaming telemetry |
– |
– |
✓ |
Rich contextual insights |
|
| SD-Access programmability |
– |
– |
✓ |
Automation and Assurance |
|
| Cloud monitoring for Catalyst |
- |
- |
✓ |
Visibility on Meraki Dashboard |
|
Table 2. Benefits of the Cisco Catalyst 9200CX models compared to other Cisco Catalyst compact access switches in the same class
| Trend |
Feature |
Installed-base access switches |
Benefits |
||
| Cisco Catalyst 2960-CX Series |
Cisco Catalyst 3560-CX Series |
Cisco Catalyst 9200CX models |
|||
| Scale and performance |
Ports |
8, 12x 1Gbps |
8, 12x 1Gbps |
8, 12x 1Gbps PoE+, 2x 10G mGig UPOE, data options |
Twice the density at nearly the same price |
| Uplinks |
2x 1G SFP + 2x 1G copper |
2x 1G SFP, 2x 1G copper, 2x 10G SFP+ |
4x 10G SFP+ + 2x 1G copper |
||
| Advanced security |
Full Flexible NetFlow |
X-NetFlow Lite |
X-NetFlow Lite |
✓ |
|
| Cisco TrustSec and SGT for wired and wireless |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
Orchestrate role-based access to corporate resources |
|
| Trustworthy solutions |
- |
- |
✓ |
||
| MACsec link encryption |
- |
- |
✓ |
AES-256, MACsec-256 |
|
| Simplicity and automation |
Cisco IOS XE |
- |
- |
✓ |
Single common network OS across switching, routing, wireless, and IoT |
| Model-driven programmability |
- |
- |
✓ |
Standards-based programmable interfaces |
|
| Streaming telemetry |
- |
- |
✓ |
Rich contextual insights |
|
| SD-Access programmability |
Extended node only |
Extended node only |
✓ |
Automation and assurance |
|
| AC and HVDC power supplies |
- |
- |
✓ |
Ideal for smart buildings |
|
Why upgrade to the Catalyst 9300 Series?
Catalyst 9300 Series
The Catalyst 9300 Series switches give your users a superior network and service experience with next-generation observability from switch to Software as a Service (SaaS) and everything in between. These switches offer a broad range of port and management options, providing operational choice of physical or virtual appliances with Cisco Catalyst Center (formerly Cisco DNA Center), or by using Meraki cloud managed dashboard. The Catalyst 9300 Series includes advanced application hosting for solutions such as Cisco Spaces, giving you control and visibility inside the network, and Cisco ThousandEyes Enterprise Agents, giving you visibility beyond your campus perimeter to help you solve issues faster. Offering up to 1 Tbps of mixed fiber and copper stacking capacity, multigigabit, and 90W UPOE+, the Catalyst 9300 Series offers options from large to small.
Table 3. Benefits of the Catalyst 9300 Series compared to other Catalyst access switches in their class
| Trend |
Feature |
Legacy fixed access switches |
Catalyst 9300 and 9300X models |
Benefits |
||
| Catalyst 3560-X, 3750-X Series |
Catalyst 3750G Series |
Catalyst 3850 Series |
||||
| Scale and performance |
Bandwidth per stack |
No stacking/64 Gbps |
32 Gbps |
480 Gbps copper and fiber |
Up to 1 Tbps copper and fiber |
Greater throughput |
| Uplinks |
2x 10G1 |
4x 1G |
4x 1G, 2x 10G, 4x 10G (all models) |
2x, 4x dual-rate 100G/40G; 2x 40G; 2x, 8x multirate 25G, 10G, and 1G; 4x, 8x 10G mGig; 4x 1G |
Greater uplink scale to 100G |
|
| Cisco Multigigabit (mGig) technology |
– |
– |
✓ |
✓ (including uplinks) |
Supports speeds above 1G in traditional cabling environments |
|
| Advanced security |
Native Flexible NetFlow |
– |
– |
✓ |
✓ |
Orchestrate role-based access to corporate resources AES-256, MACsec-256 WAN-MACsec Most secure link authentication and encryption |
| Cisco TrustSec and SGT2 for wired and wireless |
Wired |
– |
✓ |
✓ |
||
| Trustworthy solutions |
– |
– |
✓ |
✓ |
||
| Native MACsec-256 encryption |
– |
– |
Multigigabit, 10G models only |
✓ |
||
| Encrypted Traffic Analytics |
– |
– |
– |
✓ |
Detect malware hiding in encrypted traffic without decrypting it |
|
| Cisco Umbrella |
– |
– |
– |
✓ |
Cloud security service that provides a first line of defense against threats, wherever users access the internet—on or off the corporate network |
|
| Simplicity and automation |
x86 CPU |
– |
– |
– |
✓ |
Faster CPU performance |
| Cisco IOS XE OS |
– |
– |
✓ |
✓ |
Single common network OS across switching, routing, wireless, and IoT |
|
| KVM4 and container-based hosting environments |
– |
– |
– |
✓ |
Application hosting in the network, including Docker containers |
|
| Guest Shell |
– |
– |
✓ |
✓ |
On-box Python scripting |
|
| Model-driven programmability |
– |
– |
✓ |
✓ |
Standards-based programmable interfaces |
|
| Streaming telemetry |
– |
– |
✓ |
✓ |
Rich contextual insights |
|
| Fabric-in-a-box |
– |
– |
– |
✓ |
Enable SD-Access without needing a separate device for each fabric role |
|
| SD-Access programmability |
– |
– |
Optional subscription |
✓ |
|
|
| Cisco ThousandEyes Enterprise Agents |
– |
– |
– |
✓ |
Visibility from network to cloud for rapid problem isolation |
|
| Cisco Spaces |
– |
– |
– |
✓ |
Visibility of wired and wireless network devices for smart buildings |
|
| Meraki cloud management and monitoring |
- |
- |
- |
✓ |
Management and visibility on Meraki Dashboard |
|
| Bring your own device (BYOD) and mobility |
Wi-Fi 6E/6 and Wave 2 APs |
– |
– |
24 |
48 |
Highest density of next-generation access points in a 1RU6 box |
| Maximum number of APs supported |
– |
– |
100 |
200 |
||
| UADP ASIC7 for wired and wireless convergence |
– |
– |
UADP 1.0 |
UADP 2.0 UADP 2.5 sec |
Enable converged wired and wireless access for operational simplicity and scale |
|
| Application visibility across wired and wireless |
– |
– |
✓ |
✓ |
||
| End-to-end quality of experience8 |
– |
– |
– |
✓ |
||
Table 4. Benefits of the Catalyst 9300L models compared to Catalyst 3650 Series access switches
| Trend |
Feature |
Catalyst 3650 Series |
Catalyst 9300L models |
Benefits |
| Scale and performance |
Bandwidth per stack |
160 Gbps |
320 Gbps |
|
| Uplinks |
4x 1G 2x 10G 4x 10G 8x 10G 2x 40G Fixed |
4x 1G 4x 10G 2x 40G Fixed |
||
| Patching |
– |
Hot patching |
Add patches without waiting for the next maintenance release |
|
| Advanced security |
Native Flexible NetFlow |
✓ |
✓ |
Orchestrate role-based access to corporate resources AES-256, MACsec-256 Most secure link authentication and encryption |
| Cisco TrustSec and SGT for wired and wireless |
✓ |
✓ |
||
| Trustworthy solutions |
✓ |
✓ |
||
| Native MACsec-256 encryption |
– |
✓ |
||
| Encrypted Traffic Analytics |
– |
✓ |
Detect malware hiding in encrypted traffic without decrypting it |
|
| Simplicity and automation |
x86 CPU |
– |
✓ |
Accelerate innovation |
| Cisco IOS XE OS |
✓ |
✓ |
Single common network OS across switching, routing, wireless, and IoT |
|
| KVM and container-based hosting environments |
– |
✓ |
Application hosting in the network |
|
| Guest Shell |
– |
✓ |
On-box Python scripting |
|
| Model-driven programmability |
– |
✓ |
Standards-based programmable interfaces |
|
| Streaming telemetry |
– |
✓ |
Rich contextual insights |
|
| SD-Access programmability |
– |
✓ |
Fabric-in-a-box deployment |
|
| Cisco ThousandEyes Enterprise Agents |
– |
✓ |
Visibility from network to cloud for rapid problem isolation |
|
| Wi-Fi 6E/6 and Wave 2 APs |
12 |
12 |
||
| Maximum number of APs supported |
25 |
50 |
||
| UADP ASIC for wired and wireless convergence |
UADP 1.0 |
UADP 2.0 |
Enable converged wired and wireless access for operational simplicity and scale |
|
| Application visibility across wired and wireless |
✓ |
✓ |
||
| End-to-end quality of experience |
- |
✓ |
||
| Cloud monitoring for Catalyst |
- |
✓ |
Visibility on Meraki Dashboard |
Why upgrade to the Catalyst 9400 Series?
Catalyst 9400 Series
The Catalyst 9400 Series modular access and distribution switches are designed to help you flexibly bridge your network to your business and your business to your customers. The first purpose-built platforms designed for full fabric control with Cisco Catalyst Center and SD-Access support a large selection of copper, multigigabit, 90W Cisco UPOE+ and 60W Cisco UPOE, and fiber line cards for flexible and scalable access and backbone deployments. With higher-performance supervisor engines, resilient power supplies, and enhanced scale, the Catalyst 9400 Series extends Cisco’s networking leadership with significant innovations in security, mobility, IoT, and cloud.
Table 5. Benefits of the Catalyst 9400 Series compared to other Catalyst modular access switches in their class
| Trends |
Features |
Legacy modular access switches |
Catalyst 9400 Series |
Benefits |
|
| Catalyst 4500 Series |
Catalyst 6500 Series |
||||
| Scale and performance versatility |
Chassis bandwidth |
960 Gbps |
2 Tbps |
9.6 Tbps |
Better mix and variety of higher speeds with longevity of future upgrades without replacing switch |
| Throughput |
250 Mpps |
450 Mpps |
900 Mpps |
||
| mGig and Cisco UPOE |
Either mGig or Cisco UPOE |
– |
✓ |
||
| mGig and Cisco UPOE+ |
– |
– |
|
Up to 90W PoE with 48HX, 48HN, 48H models |
|
| 100G/40G uplinks |
- |
- |
✓ |
With SUP-2/2XL |
|
| 10G/5G/2.5G/1G |
- |
- |
✓ |
|
|
| Functionality |
SD-Access programmability |
Limited |
– |
✓ |
Next-generation overlay support for segmentation and policy-based management with integrated threat detection and mitigation. Advanced Layer 2 + Layer 3 functionality for aggregation and border nodes with open programmable interfaces. Gain visibility outside of your campus perimeter with native hosted ThousandEyes Enterprise Agents |
| Cisco Spaces IoT Gateway1 |
– |
– |
✓ |
||
| ThousandEyes Enterprise Agents |
– |
– |
✓ |
||
| MPLS-VPN |
– |
✓ |
✓ |
||
| Programmability |
Limited |
– |
✓ |
||
| Application hosting/containers |
– |
– |
✓ |
||
| High availability |
Cisco StackWise Virtual |
VSS |
VSS |
✓ |
Higher reliability by way of link, component, and switch redundancy. Better manageability via hitless software upgrades |
| ISSU4 |
✓ |
eFSU |
✓ |
||
| GIR and NSF5 |
– |
– |
✓ |
||
| Hot patching |
– |
– |
✓ |
||
| Security |
MACsec 256-bit encryption |
– |
– |
✓ |
Orchestrate role-based access to corporate resources AES-256, MACsec-256 Most secure link authentication and encryption |
| Cisco TrustSec endpoint security |
– |
– |
✓ |
||
| Trustworthy solutions |
– |
– |
✓ |
||
| Encrypted Traffic Analytics |
– |
– |
✓ |
||
| Cisco Umbrella |
– |
– |
✓ |
||
Why upgrade to the Catalyst 9500 Series?
Catalyst 9500 Series
Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series switches are Cisco’s lead fixed enterprise core and aggregation switching platform and, as part of the Catalyst 9000 family, are built to transform your network to handle a hybrid world where the workplace is anywhere, endpoints could be anything, and applications are hosted all over the place.
The new Catalyst 9500X model is based on Cisco Silicon One Q200 Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), which is purpose built for the next generation core with a programmable pipeline (P4). It is the first network silicon to offer switching capacity up to 25.6 Tbps (12.8 Tbps full-duplex) in the enterprise. The Q200 ASIC offers high-performance along with full routing and switching capabilities without external memories. This is enabled by a multiple slice (discreet processing pipeline) internal architecture that includes an on-chip 2.5D High Bandwidth Memory (HBM). The Catalyst 9500 Series leverages a high-performance multiple core x86 CPU, and is Cisco’s leading purpose-built fixed core and WAN edge services enterprise switching platform, built for security, IoT, and cloud.
Table 6. Benefits of the Catalyst 9500 Series compared to other Catalyst fixed core switches in their class
| Trends |
Features |
Legacy fixed core switches |
Catalyst 9500 Series |
Benefits |
|
| Catalyst 4500-X Series (32x10) |
Catalyst 3850 Fiber Series |
||||
| Scale and performance |
Chassis bandwidth |
800 Gbps |
480 Gbps |
Up to 25.6 Tbps |
Supports 400G, 100G, 50G, 40G, 25G, and 10G |
| 400G |
- |
- |
✓ |
||
| 10G, 25G, 40G, 50G, and 100G |
10G, 25G, 40G only |
10G, 25G, 40G only |
✓ |
||
| Max 10G density |
40 ports |
48 ports |
60 ports |
||
| Max 25G / 50G density |
- |
- |
60 ports |
||
| Max 100G density |
– |
– |
32 ports |
||
| Advanced security |
Native Flexible NetFlow |
– |
✓ |
✓ |
Orchestrate role-based access to corporate resources AES-256, MACsec-256 Most secure link authentication and encryption |
| Cisco TrustSec and SGT for wired and wireless |
Wired only |
✓ |
✓ |
||
| Trustworthy solutions |
– |
– |
✓ |
||
| Native MACsec-256 encryption |
– |
mGig and 10G models |
✓ |
||
| Encrypted Traffic Analytics |
– |
– |
✓ |
Uncompromised user experience: Assess, monitor, and troubleshoot network proactively |
|
| BYOD and mobility |
Fabric-enabled wireless |
– |
✓ |
✓ |
Enable converged wired and wireless access for operational simplicity and scale |
| Common wired and wireless features |
– |
✓ |
✓ |
||
| UADP ASIC for wired and wireless convergence |
– |
✓ |
✓ |
||
| Application visibility across wired and wireless |
– |
✓ |
✓ |
||
| Hierarchical wireless QoS1 |
– |
✓ |
✓ |
||
| Simplicity and automation |
Common features for wired and wireless |
– |
✓ |
✓ |
Simplicity and business agility |
| GIR and patching |
– |
– |
✓ |
||
| Cisco Catalyst Center and SD-Access programmability |
– |
Optional subscription |
✓ |
||
| Cloud monitoring for Catalyst |
- |
- |
✓ |
Visibility on Meraki Dashboard |
|
Why upgrade to the Catalyst 9600 Series?
Catalyst 9600 Series
The Catalyst 9600 Series further expands the end-to-end Catalyst 9000 family, aligning our comprehensive solution with our customers’ varying business and network strategies. When you need the most secure, most resilient, and most intelligent network, you need Catalyst 9600 Series switches, the industry’s first purpose-built modular-configuration multi-rate 400G/200G*/100G dual-rate 100G/40G, multirate 50G*/25G/10G/1G and high-density 10G multigigabit line of switches for enterprise-class core and aggregation layers.
The new Catalyst 9600 SUP-2 supervisor is based on Cisco Silicon One Q200 Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), which is purpose built for the next generation core with a programmable pipeline (P4). It is the first network silicon to offer switching capacity up to 25.6 Tbps (12.8 Tbps full-duplex) in the enterprise. The Q200 ASIC offers high-performance along with full routing and switching capabilities without external memories. This is enabled by a multiple slice (discreet processing pipeline) internal architecture that includes an on-chip 2.5D High Bandwidth Memory (HBM). The Catalyst 9600 Series leverages a high-performance multiple core x86 CPU, and is Cisco’s leading purpose-built modular core and WAN edge services enterprise switching platform, built for security, IoT, and cloud.
Table 7. Benefits of the Catalyst 9600 Series compared to other Catalyst modular core switches in their class
| Trends |
Features |
Legacy modular core switches |
Catalyst 9600 Series |
Benefits |
||
| Catalyst 6500 Series Sup 720 3C |
Catalyst 6500/6800 Series |
|||||
| Sup 2T |
Sup 6T |
|||||
| Scale and performance versatility |
Chassis bandwidth |
720 Gbps |
Up to 2 Tbps |
Up to 6 Tbps |
Up to 25.6 Tbps |
Better mix and variety of higher speeds with longevity of future upgrades without replacing switch |
| Throughput |
450 Mpps |
720 Mpps |
780 Mpps |
8 Bpps |
||
| 400G (QSFP-DD) |
- |
- |
- |
✓ |
Line-rate 25G, 40G, 50G, 100G, 200G* and 400G |
|
| 100G (QSFP28) |
– |
40G only |
40G only |
✓ |
||
| 50G (SFP56) |
– |
– |
– |
✓ |
||
| Functionality |
SD-Access |
– |
Limited |
Limited |
✓ |
Next-generation overlay support for segmentation and policy-based management with integrated threat detection and mitigation. Advanced Layer 2 + Layer 3 functionality for aggregation and border nodes with open programmable interfaces |
| MPLS-VPN |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
||
| Programmability |
– |
Limited |
Limited |
✓ |
||
| Application hosting/containers |
– |
– |
– |
✓ |
||
| High availability |
Cisco StackWise Virtual |
– |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
| ISSU |
– |
Limited |
Limited |
✓ |
||
| GIR and NSF |
– |
– |
– |
✓ |
||
| Hot patching |
– |
– |
– |
✓ |
||
| Security |
Macro and micro segmentation |
– |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
Enable converged wired and wireless access for operational simplicity and scale |
| MACsec-256 bit encryption |
128 bit |
128 bit |
128 bit |
✓ |
||
| Cisco TrustSec endpoint security |
– |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
||
| Trustworthy solutions |
– |
– |
– |
✓ |
||
With Cisco Services, you can achieve infrastructure excellence faster with less risk. Our services for the Cisco Catalyst 9000 switching family provide expert guidance to help you successfully plan, deploy, manage, and support your new switches. With unmatched networking expertise, best practices, and innovative tools, Cisco Services can help you reduce overall upgrade, refresh, and migration costs as you introduce new hardware, software, and protocols into the network. With a comprehensive lifecycle of services, Cisco experts will help you minimize disruption and improve operational efficiency to extract maximum value from your Cisco Catalyst infrastructure. Learn more.
Finance your switching migration with Cisco Capital
Let financing from Cisco Capital make migrating your switches and accelerating your digital transformation even easier. Cisco Capital Easy Pay makes this transition as easy as possible with no upfront costs and predictable monthly payments. You pay 90% of the total over a 3-year period that is completely interest free. At the end of the term, you have the option to return and refresh the equipment, extend your lease, or purchase the solution at 10% of the original cost. Take advantage of this market-leading interest rate and use your budget for other investments.
Take advantage of Cisco Capital Easy Pay.
Improve your results with our services
No matter where you are in your journey, Cisco and our partners offer services expertise to help you accelerate your digital network transformation—from upgrade and optimization services to award-winning support. We help you speed your upgrade deployments, reduce risk and complexity, and provide business continuity as you refresh your network. To simplify and support your upgrade, Cisco offers services to streamline the process and help you get the most out of your investment. The upgrade service helps control costs, improve operational excellence, and mitigate risk during your refresh.
Learn more about all services for switches.
● Reduce cost, complexity, and downtime with Cisco SD-Access. Automate policy, enable fast service creation, and get 360-degree contextual insights across users, devices, and applications. Assure network performance with real-time and historical data analytics, to learn, adapt, and even detect problems before they happen.
● Create better customer and employee experiences through higher performance, improved support for mobility, and service assurance with embedded ThousandEyes network testing.
● Deploy advanced end-to-end security designed to work together to detect and stop threats, simplify security complexity, keep your business more secure, and make your IT more productive.
The Catalyst 9000 family is also the first in the line to offer the Cisco IOS XE and Cisco Catalyst subscription-based software licenses, allowing customers to purchase the features and capabilities they need. See the benefits you could be receiving now by comparing the Cisco Catalyst 9000 switches to older switches
(see Tables 1 through 6).